3 from Berks charged with 1,000 counts of child rape

PHOENIXVILLE — A Douglassville man along with his wife and his former girlfriend were charged with more than 1,000 felony counts of sex offenses against minors after four of their victims came forward to Pennsylvania State Police.

Warren Earl Yerger Sr., 51, his wife, Leslie Anne Yerger, 34, of the 1200 block of East Main Street, and his former girlfriend, Deborah Ann Keeley, 47, of the 100 block of South Walnut Street in Birdsboro, are being held in Chester County Prison after they failed to post bail following their arraignments earlier this week, according to court papers.

The four victims — three females and one male — moved with Warren Yerger and his partners as they relocated to different homes in Montgomery, Berks, Chester and Mckean counties over a 23-year period.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the three alleged offenders “were responsible for the care, protection and support” of the four young victims between 1989 and 2012.

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In a press release, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said, “These defendants essentially tortured children in their care for years. They degraded these victims in every way possible. As a child, where can you turn when the people who are supposed to be caring for you are sexually assaulting you? We will make sure that justice is done for the victims and to the defendants.”

In a statement to Pennsylvania State Police, the male victim, and one female victim, said the alleged sexual abuse from Warren Yerger began in 1989, when the victims were 5 and 3 years old, respectively, while Yerger was living on Columbia Avenue in Phoenixville.

The male victim told police that Warren Yerger touched him inappropriately until 1993, when the victim was 8. During that period, Yerger broke the victim’s nose after kicking him in the face in order to, “beat the evil out of him,” police said.

Warren Yerger allegedly told the mother of these two victims that he was “doing nightly prayers with the victims, but instead he would lock the door and sexually assault both children,” while the accused lived on Hamilton Run Road in Port Allegheny in 1990, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

“Defendant Warren Yerger has been charged with every legally appropriate charge for sexually abusing these children,” Hogan said. “There is no charge that exists for it, but he ought to be charged with murdering the childhood of these victims.”

When the male victim was 5, Warren Yerger allegedly forced him and the 3-year-old female victim to engage in sexual intercourse with each other while living in Mckean County, police said.

A female victim told police that while living on Saylor’s Mill Road in East Coventry in 1995, Warren Yerger allegedly touched her inappropriately when she was 4, police said.

According to police, Yerger began dating Keeley in 1995, and moved to Levengood Road in Upper Pottsgrove in 1996.

Two of the victims told police they were allegedly forced to perform sexual acts on both Yerger and Keeley, while in their care.

Police said that when Yerger and Keeley separated, the alleged abuse from Keeley toward the two victims stopped.

When Yerger moved out of the house on Levengood Road, he and two victims stayed in a hotel in Phoenixville for almost a year, police said.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Yerger move to Terrace Drive in Phoenixville after marrying Leslie Yerger.

From 2001 to 2010, the alleged sexual and physical abuse by Warren and Leslie Yerger continued, police said. Warren Yerger allegedly forced the two victims into daily routines of sexual abuse, police said.

In 2012, one of the victims told police that Yerger would leave her money after he allegedly sexually assaulted her, police said.

Police received information about the alleged abuse in December 2012 and began an investigation.

The three alleged abusers were arrested on July 9.

District Judge Theodore P. Michaels in Phoenixville set Warren Yerger Sr.’s bail at $1 million. His wife, Leslie, and his former girlfriend, Keeley, were both held in lieu of $500,000 bail each.

Charges for all three include child endangerment, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, and corruption of minors. Warren Yerger was charged with 884 felony counts of various charges including incest, rape of a child and conspiracy to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse to a child, according to court documents.

Leslie Yerger and Keeley’s next court appearances are scheduled for July 18 at 9 a.m. Warren Yerger is scheduled to appear in court on July 25 at 10 a.m.

EARLIER VERSION OF THE STORY

PHOENIXVILLE — Three Berks County residents were charged Thursday in Chester County with numerous counts of assault against four children including rape, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse and incest.

Charges were filed against Warren Earl Yerger Sr., 51, of Douglassville, Leslie Anne Yerger, 34, of Douglassville and Deborah Ann Keeley, 47, of Birdsboro for incidents that occurred between 1989 and 2012, according to a press release issued by the Reading barracks of the state police. The incidents occurred in various locations in Berks, Chester, McKean and Montgomery counties, according to police.

The four victims were minors at the time of the incidents, police said.

The arrests were made by the state police in Reading and the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.

Warren Yerger is charged with multiple counts of rape, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, incest, endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of minors, indecent assault, simple assault and conspiracy to commit the previously listed offenses against four children over 20 years, police said.

Leslie Anne Yerger is charged with numerous offenses including rape, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, simple assault, corruption of minors, indecent assault and conspiracy to commit the listed offenses against two of the four victims.

Deborah Ann Keeley was charged with numerous offenses including involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, indecent assault, corruption of minors, and conspiracy to commit the listed offenses against two of the victims.

All three suspects are being housed in the Chester County prison for failing to post bail, which was listed in court documents as being $1 million bail for Warren Yerger, $500,000 bail for Leslie Ann Yerger and $500,000 Deborah Ann Keeley.